Our Instructors
Cory Abbot - Violin and Viola
Cory is a classically trained musician with over 25 years of experience on the viola. As an orchestral violist he has been fortunate to share stages with such musicians as Randy Newman, Ray Charles, Martin Chalifour, Zuill Bailey, Vadym Kholodenko, Twila Paris and Branson’s Liverpool Legends.
Cory greatly enjoys teaching and also live performance and has recently discovered a love for the studio recording. His particular joy comes from film music.
Cory received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Central Arkansas and his Master of Music in viola performance form the University of Central Arkansas. He has many years of orchestral experience and chamber/solo experience.
Julie Adams - Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano, and Voice
Julie has been teaching music to students of all ages and all levels for 30 years. She has taught music in the public schools and has directed orchestra and choir from the elementary to middle school level. She is also active as a professional musician playing and performing with several regional orchestras and chamber ensembles. Julie also serves as a piano accompanist for choir and individual students as well as performing on piano and organ for church services.. Her teaching style is encouraging and supportive while also maintaining high expectations of her students. She believes lessons should be enjoyable and challenging.
Aleksandr Bazhenov - Piano, Guitar, Composition and Music Production
Aleksandr Bazhenov is a dedicated musician, composer, and teacher who loves sharing his passion for music. He offers lessons in piano and guitar (acoustic, electric, and bass) including classical techniques, and beginner music production using Logic Pro X.
Aleksandr graduated from a seven-year music school in Russia with a focus on piano, later interning with the city orchestra orchestra. He is experienced both as a performer and teacher, as a performer, and currently record and composes in his home studio.
Seth Carrithers - Bass, Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, Theory and Composition
Seth Carrithers has been an active musician and music educator for over 25 years. As a music instructor, Seth has taught private bass lessons, music history, and coached jazz combos at Friends University, and has also taught guitar, ukulele, beginner piano and theory/composition extensively at various private music studios.
In addition to Seth’s experience in both playing and teaching music, he holds a Master of Music Degree from Wichita State University. As a double bassist working in various jazz ensembles, Seth has had the pleasure of performing with many wonderful musicians, including some internationally recognized recording artists such as Benny Golson and Jerry Hahn. Outside of the jazz world, Seth has worked in the studio with Grammy Award winning country music star Lynn Anderson.
While the double bass remains Seth’s primary instrument, he excels at the electric bass as well, and has utilized this skill as a staff musician at various churches for 20 years.
Lana Clifft - Violin, Viola, Cello
Svetlana Clifft was born and raised in Russia. She is a professional musician and music instructor with extensive education from some of Russia’s finest universities along with a decade of teaching experience. She has played with the Round Rock Symphony, Balcones Community Orchestra Austin, Rybinsk Orchestra. She holds a B.A. in Teacher, Music from L.V. Sobinov Music College Yaroslav, Russia and an M.A. from Moscow State Open Teacher’s Training University Moscow, Russia. In Russia she performed a variety of musical styles (baroque, classical, jazz,pop) for violin and piano solo, string quartet, ensemble and orchestra. As a professional teacher she was awarded a diploma for preparation of a prize-winner of the City Contest of Young Violin and Cello Players. She has been playing violin with the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra since 2008. Ms Lana has also had great success with her students receiving “All-State” winner status at the State Festival.
Roger Cratin - Guitar
Roger has been playing for 60 years. He started taking lessons in 1961 and has played in church praise teams, acoustic groups, rock and roll bands and open mic venues. He likes the Hal Leonard books that teach traditional music notation as well as tablature. In addition to improving skills, Roger wants to emphasize the joy that the guitar can bring to the student.
Bobby Davis - Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone
Bobby brings years of experience as a Junior and Senior Band Director, Instructor/Director at ACC, Musical Director for the Palace Theater, and Private Music Lesson teacher for many years.
Mr. Davis is currently teaching students from beginners to advanced player in both public and private school settings as well as his home studio. He has a Masters of Music Education and loves teaching and playing his instruments with all his students during the lessons and development sessions together.
Elliott Dunlap - Piano
Elliott Dunlap has a colorful musical background. Although he began studying the piano at an early age, he first gained attention as a cellist. As a teenager, he became a fellow of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., performed within the orchestra at selected concerts and went on to win the H. Stevens Brewster Memorial Award. He arrived in San Francisco in 1991 and became a cello student of Bonnie Hampton at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. After deciding to concentrate on the piano with William Corbett-Jones at San Francisco State University, Elliott furthered his studies in London at The Royal Academy of Music and King’s College.
Elliott has performed in master classes for such world-renowned artists as Neville Marinner, Lynn Harrell, Janos Starker, Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Elizabeth Powell. Elliott was selected to perform on April 27th, 2005 at San Francisco’s Noontime Concerts on a special series sponsored by the Helen von Ammon Fund for Emerging Artists. Aesthetically, Elliott identifies with pianists whose recordings date from the early twentieth century (Paderewski, de Pachmann, Cortot) and the degree of artistic freedom in their playing that is largely lost today.
Elliott writes this about his teaching: “It is a small miracle that I became a piano teacher. Working with an instructor in my youth who shouted and hit the piano caused me to quit altogether. Since 2002, I have devoted most of my time to teaching children in the opposite way. There is an old saying…’Give a man a fish and he‘ll eat for a day; Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.’ Hence, showing the student how to practice is an important part of every lesson. It’s a special delight when they grasp that practicing is a soothing, meditative experience when done slowly and methodically.”
Nancy Guevara - Piano, Voice, Guitar, Ukulele
Nancy Guevara is an engaging and experienced music teacher with a passion for helping people gain and improve their gifts and skills. Her teaching emphasizes a love for music while gaining and gifts confidence in performing, playing and and singing.
Nancy has a degree in Music and Education from Southwestern University and has been teaching for 15 years with students in piano, guitar, voice, and ukelele.
Austin Johanning - Trumpet, Beginner Brass, Beginner Piano
Austin is a Trumpet Player from Wichita, KS with a Bachelors of Music Performance in Jazz Studies from Wichita State University. He has been active in the Austin, TX music scene since 2015: touring with Soul band Roxy Roca across the US; performing internationally with the Tin Pan Tigers brass band; performing locally with Hotsauce ATX, Erica Michelle band, Roland and the Roots Riddim’, Cara Van Thorn; and doing studio work for various projects. He has a passion for teaching and has been a part of many music education programs in Kansas and Texas as a supplemental instructor.
Susan Leach - Voice, Flute, Piano
Susan studied voice at the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music with an emphasis in Choral Conducting. She has studied music for over 30 years, and is an accomplished flutist and vocalist and is also proficient in piano. As a vocalist, she is trained both classically and in the IVA (Institute of Vocal Advancement) Technique which aids the voice in singing in a free and natural manner.
While at UT, Susan performed in several ensembles including Concert Chorale and the Longhorn Band. She participates in various volunteer and professional choirs and has performed in venues including the Erwin Center, Bass Concert Hall, and St. Mary Cathedral and for dignitaries including the Governor of Texas and the Bishop of Austin.
Susan is currently the Director of Music at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. She has directed performers of all ages with varying degrees of ability. She is skilled in a wide range of musical genres and often sings in other languages including: Latin, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and others. She also regularly sings and plays flute at weddings, funerals, church services, and in concerts. In addition, Susan is a certified cantor with the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
Ibrahim Martinez - Guitar
Ibra has taught guitar for 7 years, varying from ages 5-80 years old. Starting as a self taught musician and continuing education at Texas State University in the jazz program, Ibra likes to adjust the teaching style to the student’s learning style. With a diverse performance experience, Ibra can help teach various styles that can be presented live or just enjoyed at home.
Gfire Mayo - Voice, Piano, Guitar
Austin based Gfire is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter with over 30 years of experience teaching piano, voice, acoustic guitar, songwriting, music theory and music production with students from ages 3 to 90!
She holds a BA in Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Maryland, College Park, with additional studies in voice from Seth Riggs (Stevie Wonder, Barbara, Streisand) in Los Angeles and Peter Giles (master of the Science of Singing) Canterbury, England.
Gfire’s teaching tailors each music lesson to a student’s learning style, tehcnique, and personal goals. Besides her years of experience, she known for her warm and encouraging teaching style.
Phil Medina - Percussion
The drums chose Phil when he was just 11 years old living in Houston For the past 12 years, he’s been touring across the U.S. supporting Texas Country acts such as Bri Bagwell, Bart Crow, Mark McKinney, Scotty Alexander, David Adam Brynes, Isaac Jacob Band and Curtis Grimes and many others. During that time he’s made numerous TV and radio appearances such as The Texas Music Scene. He brings real tour life experience and a passion for helping others get out of their own way.
Jim Leadbetter - Percussion
Jim has played drums for 29 years. Over the course of his career, he has recorded, played, and toured with bands up and down the west coast, including features on raiod and TV. He began teaching in 2008 and enjoys passing on his love of percussion to his students. He specializes in several genres including rock, hip hop, jazz, and reggae, and also works with students in marching band. His lessons cover everything from drum setup and tuning to proper technique, improvisation, and auditioning for gigs in the music industry.
Tess McKenna - Piano, Voice
Tess has sixteen years of music teaching experience, primarily with beginner and intermediate piano students. She attended the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas (Austin) where she obtained two degrees: Bachelor’s of “Music Studies” and Master’s of “Music and Human Learning.” While piano was her principal instrument, she also played the piccolo in the Longhorn Marching Band and flute in the concert band. After graduating, she taught elementary music in a Round Rock ISD school for five years. She continues to perform at family and church events as well as Longhorn Alumni Band football and basketball games.
Tess had outstanding teachers throughout her musical journey and appreciates the opportunity to pass her knowledge of music on to others. Her teaching policy revolves around kindness and honesty.
Tiger Maximvs - Voice, Guitar, Bass
Kaushalie Ranaweera - Piano
Kaushalie, a Sri Lankan by birth, has been teaching piano for the past 25 years. She started giving piano lessons at a very young age. Professionally, a certified school teacher in Math, she graduated in Geology and Physics from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, while her interests in the field of music lead her to complete her finals in Piano at the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London, UK. While in Sri Lanka she presented candidates of all ages for the practical and theory examinations conducted by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, UK and Institute of Western Music and Speech, Sri Lanka and produced many award winners.
Kaushalie has varied lesson plans to cater to the needs of students of all ages and different capabilities. Her main goal is to instill a love for learning piano which, she believes, would result in amazing performances.
